Selective synthesis of nitrate from air using a plasma-driven gas-liquid relay reaction system

The direct oxidation of nitrogen is a potential pathway to achieving the zero-carbon-emission synthesis of nitric acid or nitrate, because it does not involve ammonia synthesis and additional ammonia oxidation processes. However, the slow kinetics of nitrogen oxidation and the difficult selective control of oxidation products hinder the development of this process. In this study, a plasma-driven gas-liquid relay reaction system was developed to overcome these limitations. A typical feature of this reaction system is that it can efficiently generate NO_x under plasma exposure;moreover, the specific anions in the absorption solution can be oxidized to strong oxidants capable of relay oxidation of low-valence nitrogen oxides. This feature allows for the deep oxidation of nitrogen, thus enabling the oxidation products of nitrogen to exist in high-valence states in the absorption solution. For experimental verification, we achieved the 100% selective synthesis of nitrate under plasma exposure, with air as the supply gas and a sodium sulfate solution as the absorption solution.

FeCo alloy@N-doped graphitized carbon as an efficient cocatalyst for enhanced photocatalytic H2 evolution by inducing accelerated charge transfer

Cocatalysts play important roles in improving the activity and stability of most photocatalysts.It is of great significance to develop economical,efficient and stable cocatalysts.Herein,using Na2CoFe(CN)6 complex as precursor,a novel noble-metal-free FeCo@NGC cocatalyst(nano-FeCo alloy@N-doped graphitized carbon) is fabricated by a simple pyrolysis method.Coupling with g-C3 N4, the optimal FeCo@NGC/g-C3N4 receives a boosted visible light driven photocatalytic H2 evolution rate of 42.2 μmol h-1, which is even higher than that of 1.0 wt% Pt modified g-C3N4 photocatalyst.Based on the results of density functional theory(DFT) calculations and practical experiment measurements,such outstanding photocatalytic performance of FeCo@NGC/g-C3N4 is mainly attributed to two aspects.One is the accelerated charge transfer behavior,induced by a photogene rated electrons secondary transfer performance on the surface of FeCo alloy nanoparticles.The other is related to the adjustment of H adsorption energy(approaching the standard hydrogen electrode potential) by the presence of external NGC thin layer.Both factors play key roles in the H2 evolution reaction.Such outstanding performance highlights an enormous potential of developing noble-metal-free bimetallic nano-alloy as inexpensive and efficient cocatalysts for solar applications.

Partial dehydration of brucite and its implications for water distribution in the subducting oceanic slab

Hydrous minerals within the subducting oceanic slab are important hosts for water.Clarification of the stability field of hydrous minerals helps to understand transport and distribution of water from the surface to the Earth’s interior.We investigated the stability of brucite,a prototype of hydrous minerals,by means of electrical conductivity measurements in both open and closed systems at 3 GPa and temperatures up to 1300 K.Dramatic increase of conductivity in association with characteristic impedance spectra suggests that partial dehydration of single-crystal brucite in the open system with a low water fugacity occurs at 950 K,which is about 300 K lower than those previously defined by phase equilibrium experiments in the closed system.By contrast,brucite completely dehydrates at 1300 K in the closed system,consistent with previous studies.Partial dehydration may generate a highly defective structure but does not lead to the breakdown of brucite to periclase and water immediately.Water activity plays a key role in the stability of hydrous minerals.Low water activity(a H_(2)O)caused by the high wetting behavior of the subducted oceanic slab at the transition zone depth may cause the partial dehydration of the dense hydrous magnesium silicates(DHMSs),which significantly reduces the temperature stability of DHMS(this mechanism has been confirmed by previous study on super hydrous phase B).As a result,the transition zone may serve as a‘dead zone’for DHMSs,and most water will be stored in wadsleyite and ringwoodite in the transition zone.

Sheltered Initiation Language Learning： Introduction and Initial Validation of its Application in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language

近年来,对外汉语教学研究逐渐受到二语习得和外国语言教学等领域的学者的重视。目前,主流的对外汉语教学法在不同程度上均受到英语作为外国语言(English as a Foreign Language)的教学法的影响,这导致许多不被现代教学法所提倡的语言教学方法依然广泛存在于对外汉语课堂中。针对此问题,本文首先介绍了一种已被成功应用于多种语言的"SILL"(Sheltered Initiation Language Learning)教学法,指出其区别于传统教学法的三大特点:即时自然的口语输出、控制难度的语言输入和非对称的教学顺序。随后,本文对该教学法在对外汉语教学中的有效性进行了初步评价,通过分析该教学法的小规模汉语实验结果,参考其在其他东亚语言教学中的应用以及该老师学生等对该教学法的反馈,最终得出结论:该教学法在对外汉语教学中有广泛的应用前景。